This dish, Balaaleet, immediately reminds me of Ramadan; as we only serve it in the holy month. It saddens me slightly to not be able to enjoy it throughout the year but hey, this is why it both tastes and feels special when made.
This recipe actually belongs to my mother. She is well known for it and ending our iftar with it is what makes our feast flawless.
It is anything but heavy; it melts into your mouth and is unbelievably light. The recipe here uses olive oil instead of the usual ghee or butter recipes, which grants this dish the lightness it flaunts. When you try this, I promise you, one bite, will definitely lead to another!
Ingredients
200g pack of rice vermicelli noodles
6 heaping spoons of caster sugar
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 egg
Pinch of ground cardamon
Pinch of saffron
Directions
You first need to prepare the noodles. You will do this by breaking them into a pan and adding hot water. It does not take long to cook so be sure to remove them in time, probably a few minutes.
Once they're done, drain them and return them to the pan.
When you reach this stage you must act fast, the noodles are hot so moving slowly will cause the eggs to scramble so speed is needed here! Add the olive oil, sugar, and eggs to the noodles and start stirring vigorously!
Keep stirring until they're all combined, then add the cardamon and saffron.
Cover the pan with a lid and return to the stove and continue cooking on extremely low heat in order to set the dish and make it less liquid. This will take around 15 minutes.
Remove from the pan and place into a dish that will keep it hot as it is best served warm.
– Text and photography by Shaikha Al Ali
